Death sentence gives attorney new life

IRVINE – A 47-year-old attorney from Irvine and a 6-year-old kindergartner known as “Lollipop” have little in common.

At his birthday party Saturday, John Eggers was the consummate host, making introductions and reminiscing with friends.

Anna Steen hid behind her mom’s dress, not sure what to make of this gathering of mostly strangers.

Despite their disparities, the attorney and the kindergartener are bonded by one thing: their fight against cancerous brain tumors.

“To a certain degree, it changes who you are,” Eggers said.

Eggers’ voice, which once rang out clearly in courtrooms, is softer now. He occasionally pauses to gather his thoughts or still his shaking hands. He has a scar along the right side of his head, and he smiles primarily with the right side of his mouth.

But the biggest changes are ones you can’t hear or see. Changes that led him to meet Anna.

THE DIAGNOSIS

Eggers had a private law practice in Irvine for 15 years. He drove a Porsche some days, a BMW others. He worked out regularly and enjoyed frequent trips to exotic destinations.

“I had absolutely no health problems at all,” Eggers said.

On Jan. 7, he’d just finished a session in the gym. As Eggers went up to his apartment, he started to feel “off.” Then his voice changed. “I sounded like Chewbacca from ‘Star Wars,’” he recalled. Soon, he began losing sensation in his left extremities.

“I remember saying a few colorful words before I went down,” he said.

Eggers had a seizure and fell face-first onto his kitchen floor. He woke up a half-hour later with two busted front teeth.

“I was actually very relieved, at first, because I thought I was having a stroke. I didn’t think I’d wake up at all.”

He called 911 and was taken to Hoag Hospital Irvine. They discovered a mass along the right side of his skull. Two days later, he was having brain surgery.

Eggers was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, the most aggressive malignant brain tumor. He was given 12-15 months to live.

THE AWAKENING

“After the first surgery, I don’t think it sunk in,” Eggers said.

Family and friends rallied around him, and – between bouts of radiation and chemotherapy – they cruised in the Caribbean, celebrated Mardi Gras and spent a month in Europe.

It was the second surgery, on Aug. 8, that put a “healthy dose of fear” in him.

He made a bucket list with some fun ambitions, such as attending the Playboy Mansion’s Halloween party and meeting Vice President Joe Biden, a fellow alumnus of Syracuse University College of Law.

Most goals, though, are grounded in his new-found concern for the plight of others.

“I spent a lot of time thinking about myself and – I’m not proud to say this – not much thinking about other people,” Eggers said. “Now, I want to leave this place better than I found it.”

During his hospital visits, he’s met people with no insurance or poor coverage limiting their treatment options. He recently helped one family pro bono, and he’s looking to connect with others who have sick children and need legal support standing up to their insurance companies.

Eggers also wants to do some motivational speaking about the effect a terminal illness can have on a person and their relationships.

“Sometimes people just can’t handle it,” Eggers said, with a few he was once close to no longer around. “If I just help one family stay together and the person who has it have a better life, then it would all be worth it for me.”

TEAM LOLLIPOP

Several weeks ago, Eggers was sitting with his sister Cheryl Chisholm, thinking about other ways to do some good. They were already planning his 47th birthday party, so Chisholm suggested they make it a fundraiser for Anna and Team Lollipop.

“It’s probably the first time I’ve been really excited about a birthday since I was a kid,” he said.

Eggers met Anna through his brother, Shannon, who got to know the 6-year-old as he and his daughter participated in the YMCA Adventure Guides program.

On March 28, Anna was diagnosed with a brain tumor, now classified as Stage 2. She’s been receiving treatment at Children’s Hospital of Orange County for the past six months and is doing well.

“In spite of having a 6-year-old with a brain tumor, we feel lucky and blessed because it’s not aggressive,” said Anna’s dad, Brian Steen of Placentia. “And people have just come out of the woodwork supporting us.”

Instead of birthday gifts, Eggers asked guests Saturday to help Team Lollipop reach its $10,000 goal for the CHOC Walk in the Park.